Gifts and Curses
by Senses-Failed
Summary: Roughly a year after finding Chika, Leonardo's world is crashing down on him. With three motherless turtle-human hybrids to look after, and with the Foot Clan knowledgeable of their existence, will Leonardo be able to ensure the survival of his family?
1. Prologue

_AN: Greetings ^^; Well, first off this was requested by someone on DA who read my Kale story. She's pretty much letting me have free reign, the only thing she wanted was that her OC be the... Well, drat I don't want spoilers (Even though the whole summary is spoilers Dx *fails). Okay, Chika is hers. The other OC's are mine and hers... Sorta. Everyone else belongs to Nickelodeon :D_

_Also, my laptop got hacked, so we had to wipe the harddrive... And everything with my Kale story was deleted. Thanks to that, the person who I was writing with suggested that maybe we take a break because we're both not really liking it that much... So, Kale story is put on halt. We might take it down soon if we decide to not continue it. /: So, maybe no mare Kale._

_Also, not necessarily set in any pre-existing turtle verse._

_With that said, please, read and enjoy! ^^"_

* * *

Two shadowy figures crouched above the city, hands curled over the ridge of one of the many altitudinous buildings that New York City was known for, their eyes slitted against the brisk wind that tugged on the ends of their masks. They were stone gargoyles, motionless except for the slight rising and falling of their hunched backs as they drew in precious air.

The two were none other than Leonardo and Raphael Hamato, two of the four mutant terrapins that happened to inhabit the sewers of New York City. The leader and the rebel, always at each other's throats.

But not tonight, at least. Tonight they'd managed to keep their rivalry to a minimum as they patrolled the city.

Suddenly, the muscular Raphael shifted, nudging his leader, jerking his head towards the ground. That was all it took.

A few seconds later, now in the alleyway just below the building on which they'd been crouched, Blue and Red were poised expertly, twin katana and sai drawn, two-toed feet swept out in perfect defense positions, Raphael just behind his elder brother. Before them, now frozen to the spot, were two young men, no older than twenty-five, and a younger looking woman, though she was curled in the fetal position on the ground, shivering, crying.

The dress she wore had jagged rips along the ribs and chest, the suitcase she'd been carrying lay next to her, thrown open. Its contents, which had been so lovingly tucked away and folded, were now strewn chaotically in the dark alleyway, jewelry and undergarments littering the dark.

The two brothers didn't spare her a second glance before they began their vicious onslaught. It was over in a matter of seconds. The two bruised, unconscious thugs slumped against the wall of the alley. The terrapins hadn't even needed their weapons.

Leonardo turned, staring at the sobbing woman, cinnamon eyes narrowed with concern. Her black hair fell like a curtain over her ashen features as her lithe frame shook with shock and terror. The turtle approached her, only to stop dead in his track as the woman let loose a scream, pale blue eyes wide with fear.

Scrambling to her feet, the young woman pushed past the two brothers, running down in the street in a hurried attempt to escape the monsters.

Leonardo stepped back, light brown eyes narrowed into angry slits. Though, his anger, as it almost always was, was directed at himself. He should have known not to approach her. He'd only succeeded in frightening her more. It was always the same with humans. They always ran.

He'd learned long ago not to expect a thanks.

* * *

Two months later, Leonardo was out on patrol again, though, this time, he flew solo. The young, blue-clad terrapin, no older than nineteen years at the most, preferred the solitude. It gave him time to think without Raphael badgering him about training, or Mikey filling him in on every single comic book there was out there… Or worse yet, Donatello yammering on and on about techno gadgets the poor eldest brother knew nothing about.

Twin katana secure in their hilts on the back of his shell, the svelte turtle's cinnamon eyes glanced around the city below him, settled as he was on the ridge of yet another rooftop. The city was calm tonight… Quiet. It would be nice to have a night off, a night to heal after yet another encounter with the Purple Dragons.

But, it seemed Fate certainly had it out for the lone terrapin this night – A piercing scream knifed through the air, shattering the serenity that had fallen over the city.

Leonardo was on his feet in a flash, eyes narrowed as he struggled to pinpoint the direction of the screech. Another scream zigzagged through the air, allowing him to figure out from which direction it came.

North. Not too far from where he was. A block at the most.

He would make it before the police, if the police even bothered coming. They were corrupt. Some bought out by The Shredder, some bought out by the mafia, some too lazy to even bother with the things right in front of their noses.

And Michelangelo thought his comic book "Gotham City" was corrupt… Leonardo felt the familiar flash of anger when he thought of how his orange-clad younger brother wouldn't look past his comic books to see the city before him. It didn't occur to him it was a release.

Donatello had his gadgets. Raphael had his motorcycle. Michelangelo had his comics. Leonardo… He hadn't yet realized that having nothing else to concentrate on but training would eventually let his sanity slip away.

Shaking the thoughts of Mikey away, Leonardo turned, struggling to his two-toed feet. Clenching his jaw, the katana-wielder tucked his round chin downwards, and, with a determined glint in his cinnamon eyes, the turtle ran.

Bracing himself, Leonardo pushed off the roof with his toes, landing in a cat-like poise on the next roof over, panting. The thrill of the leap… It always made the nape of his neck tingle. Adrenaline, he supposed.

Roughly a block later of roof-jumping, the emerald-skinned turtle was crouched above the city, the nape of his neck tingling, staring down at the sight below him. Normally, he would've acted by now… But surprise held him back this time.

There she was. The raven haired girl Raphael and he had saved a while back. He'd all but forgotten about her. Though, this time, it was not two thugs ganging up on the poor girl… But two cops.

"Heard you messed with our _friend's_ a while ago… They didn't like that… Didn't like you had some creature waiting to mess them up…" The smug voice of one of the two wafted up to him. It sounded like it belonged to a female…

So the intention was to kill this time, not rape, like it had seemed to be before.

And it was his fault. The Purple Dragons had seem him in the brief seconds they'd had a chance to, guessed he wasn't some normal human, and paid some cops to track her down and get back at her… Bitter thugs.

Leonardo shifted, shaking his head clear. Now was not the time to dwell on such thoughts, but the time to act. Lips curled back in a feral snarl, the turtle crouched, preparing himself before he leaped down, landing in a feline-like pose in front of the wide-eyed girl, grinning up at the surprised faces of the two female cops before him.

"Wanna dance?"

"It's a…"

"Monster!" Screamed the second, younger looking police officer, blonde strands of hair tumbling down across her narrow face, having escaped from the tight bun on her head. Her handgun, which had been drawn previously –a fact Leonardo hadn't noticed until now- rising in her shaking hands, pointing it squarely at him.

Leonardo's eyes widened, suddenly quite regretful of the fact he hadn't been just a tad more observant about the offenders, instead of the victim. His twin katana were drawn in a flash as he charged, a loud growl ripping past his lips as he struck, lashing out at the gun-wielding woman.

Too late. He heard the gun go off before he felt the pain. The force of the bullet knocked him on his ass, a cry springing from his lips as blood oozed from his bicep.

"Shit! You didn't get him in the head!"

"It doesn't matter! Just go!"

The disembodied voices fluttered in his mind as the turtle hissed, fighting against an agonized scream, followed closely by two sets of feet covered by shoes slapping against the concrete. Leonardo kept his eyes squeezed shut, the woman forgotten until her timid voice sounded close by.

"A-Are you okay?"

His cinnamon eyes shut open in surprise, staring into her blue-gray orbs that were only inches from his face. "P-perfectly f-fine."

That teased a light, scared smile to her face. "You… You were shot. I… I may not be a turtle… But..."

His cinnamon eyes rested on hers for only a moment. "Yer-you're not uh-afraid this time?"

"You aren't so scary the second time 'round. I… I'm a nurse. I might not be able to do much about your wound… But I can stop the bleeding… Let me take you to my house..." A pause. "What's your name? I'm Chika."

"Leo…Leonardo Hamato." And with that, he curled his three-fingered hand into hers.

* * *

That was the first night. He didn't visit her for a week after that, scared she'd turn him away if he came in suddenly.

And Donatello was wondering why he'd healed his own wound without first coming to the genius… Leonardo didn't want to make anyone suspicious.

Suspicious of what, though? He wasn't exactly sure. Maybe it was the fact it was the first female human he'd been around besides April and Casey that wasn't trying to rip his throat out. Maybe it was because after he'd been stitched up, Chika had whispered a soft thanks.

Maybe it was because for that one night, he had had release. He'd talked to her; told her about his family, about the constant teasing, about his father, about his year in South America he'd returned from only a few short months ago.

And she'd listened, saving her questions till the end. Then they'd actually had an intelligent conversation – something rare for the turtle, seeing as how he was living with three hormone-ridden teenage idiots.

Of course, with pain medication pumping through his veins, he hadn't exactly been the best partner for speaking. He'd fallen asleep on her couch in the middle of their conversation and woken up the next morning with a blanket thrown across his muscular body. It'd been early, around six-ish. Chika was still asleep.

He'd slipped out the window unnoticed, without even a note to thank her.

But now, nearly a week later, he was back, crouched outside on the fire escape right outside her apartment. It was dusk. He'd slipped away before Splinter could question who was going out for patrol.

The only reason he was here now… Well, he wanted to talk again. He and Raphael had gotten into another spat. They hadn't exchanged blows this time, but they'd gotten close… if it hadn't been for Mikey screaming like a little girl, blood would've been spilt.

But, pulled together by a brotherly bond, they scrambled to their orange-clad brother, only to find him staring wide-eyed at a screen showing the body of some superhero or villain lying motionless on it.

Mikey and his cartoons…

But now, realizing that no one in their right mind would welcome… Well, a freak, into their den, the turtle turned, preparing to slip off into the darkness before a window behind him opened, sparking his curiosity and making him turn around. The ridges where his eyebrows would be raised at the sight of the gray-eyed nurse.

"I was wondering if you were ever going to come around and thank me for patching you up," she grinned, hands on her hips, the handle of a ladle cradled between two fingers.

"I… I—"

Cutting him off, Chika grinned, extending one hand and wrapping it around the turtle's uninjured bicep, half-pulling him into the small apartment. "I'm cooking. You hungry?"

The emerald turtle blinked once, a grin stealing across his hexagonal face. "Starving." And it was true. Having slipped away before dinner, the terrapin's stomach was rumbling quite ferociously. Though, the empty feeling of hunger was slowly being replaced by the warm, tingling sensation that always poured into his belly whenever something truly good happened.

"Hope you like turtle soup."

And then the tingling feeling was gone. Cinnamon eyes widening, Leonardo looked at her, horror creeping across his face.

"Kidding, kidding. Sheesh," Chika tittered, stepping into the kitchen.

"Oh…Right…" So she had a sense of humor, too.

* * *

It'd been six months since that glorious night of sipping French soup and laughing at silly little things. Leonardo had been visiting Chika every chance he'd gotten. It'd been hard keeping her secret, especially since she continued to ask when she was going to get to meet his family…

But she was his release. The only thing keeping him sane as his vicious squabbles with Raphael kept getting fiercer and fiercer.

And tonight was what they'd considered to be their sixth month anniversary. He was scared, yes. Terrified. She'd already decided for him what his present would be for her.

Slowly, fear numbing his fingers, Leonardo pulled open the window, allowing himself inside. And there she was, sprawled on the couch, a sly smile curling over her lips. "I thought you wouldn't show."

He only chuckled, nervously, watching her as she slowly got to her feet and moved towards him. Lifting up on her tiptoes, the short Japanese woman curled her arms around his neck, pulling him down into a kiss. The first of many that would be shared that night.

* * *

A month and a half later, Leonardo, having pinned Donatello in one of their many training exercises, tensed at the familiar vibrating of his shell cell. Cinnamon eyes shifting uneasily to make sure Master Splinter was nowhere to be seen, Leonardo slipped into one of the many sewer tunnels, muttering something about having to call Casey.

Flipping open the small device, eyes narrowing at the name he knew he'd see, the emerald-skinned turtle brought the small device to head, murmuring, "Chika—"

"You have to come over."

"What? I can't… Raphael will have my tail. I'll come over tonight."

"Leo… I…"

"What is it?"

"I'm pregnant."

* * *

Not quite seven months later, Leonardo's world was crashing down on him. She refused to even think about getting rid of the child. And he refused to let her see his family while she was pregnant.

They'd be angry with him, he knew it. They'd take her away. Not let him see her again.

Then again, Leonardo had always been a bit on the paranoid side…

But, just moments ago, he'd gotten yet another call from his beloved Chika. She'd been screaming… Crying. There'd been words, yes. But he hadn't been able to make them out. He knew it had something to do with the child that now rested in her womb…

Once again, it was dusk. And, once again, he was just outside her window… Though this time, no hesitation slowed his course. In one quick, fluid movement, the mutant shoved the window open, scrambling into the living room of the small apartment.

The wails of a child were the first thing to meet his ears. The sobs of a woman were the second.

Fear made him rash. With a glint of the metal, his katana were drawn as he shouted, "Chika?" When the sobs of the child only grew louder and no reply from the young woman came, Leonardo rushed forward, slipping into the bedroom, cinnamon eyes resting on the bed.

What he saw there struggled to bring his lunch back up his digestive track. There she was, bloody, broken… Her hands were raised above her head, plastered against the bed frame. Implaed through them were two massive butcher knives.

Leonardo, mouth parted slightly, dropped his weapons, the wails of the child –or was it children? Surely one couldn't make this much noise…- forgotten. The mere thought that someone else might be in the house, the someone who'd done this to her, didn't even dare to cross his mind as he rushed to her side. His bulky hand carefully pushed the bloodied black hair away from her pale face as he murmured sweet words in her ear.

"It's going to be okay… Shhh… You're going to be fine…" he whispered softly, nuzzling her cheek ever so softly with his beak. She only whimpered, gray eyes rolling back wildly in their sockets.

"Dammit…" A hiss slipped past his lips. He should've been here. Should've been here so this had never happened… Eyes slitted, the young turtle stumbled backwards, his free hand having rested on her belly while he berated himself.

It was flat. Not swelled like it had been. His eyes flashed open. The wailing child…

Was his own. Of course. What other child would've been here, screaming? But that left the question of where it was… A newborn couldn't exactly crawl away without help…

The wails were in the room. Whoever had done this to Chika was still here. Stomach knotted, the terrapin turned slowly, cinnamon eyes darting across the room.

That was when the shadows shifted, walked, if you will. Stepped right into the patch of light thrown into the room by the window.

Karai. The red cloth around her head –almost identical in color to Raphael's mask- tumbled down past her shoulders, resting on the hexagonal head of a small, anthropomorphic turtle child tucked close by her side. Leonardo's eyes widened at the bloody, naked child, a soft gasp escaping his lips as the kunoichi shifted, revealing two other newborns just behind her, shivering as they curled together on the seat of the desk chair Chika always sat on.

Three… They both knew Chika had been abnormally large for an expecting mother of one, but they just assumed the child would be larger than most newborns, thanks to Leonardo's mutagenic genes. But, no… These newborns were small. Too small. Even being premature by nearly seven weeks…

Leonardo stepped forward, a feral growl rumbling deep within his chest, and Karia's forest eyes flashed once with an emotion akin to sorrow. But, in the blink of an eye, the look was replaced; her eyes back to their normal, hard state.

"How?" A simple question. Not nearly so complicated as 'Why?'.

"You should learn to be more careful when slipping out to see your lover, Leonardo."

That stopped the mutant in his tracks. Once again… It was his fault. Dammit. He should've known the Foot had been too quiet for too long. It was only common sense they'd been plotting, once again.

But, maybe, just maybe, he could redeem himself…He'd save Chika, and their three young children. Take her back to the layer where Donnie would work his magic.

Suddenly regretful of the fact he'd dropped his weapons in the doorway, the terrapin gritted his teeth. Sure, going up against the Purple Dragons with only his fists was one thing. Going up against Karai, heir to the name Shredder, was another thing entirely.

He'd rush her. Sure, it'd put the child at risk… But two children and the life of Chika… It'd be worth it. Surely it'd be worth it.

Slowly, the young turtle drew in a breath, eyes locking on Karai. Just as the thin layer of flesh that were her eyelids closed in a blink, Leonardo let out a bellowing roar, clutching the carpeted floor with his toes for just a moment as he launched himself at the kunoichi, bowling into her.

The turtle-human hybrid in her arms let out an even louder shriek than before, as Karai fell, it along with her. Though, somehow, the Foot Clan member kept the crying hybrid pressed against her side, protecting it from the fall.

Maybe Karai had a heart after all.

Leonardo, far too preoccupied with getting his new family to safety, didn't even notice when the all too familiar flash of sympathy he felt whenever dealing with Karai didn't twist his stomach. She had chosen to go along with her scoundrel of a father and put his love at stake. She was getting was she deserved.

But, even so, the terrapin, when kneeling down to scoop up his young, wailing child from her grasp, didn't bother to deliver another blow. Perhaps he still held some compassion for the kunoichi that had first captured his attention so long… Scrambling to his feet, the turtle stroked the sobbing newborn's bloody head, cinnamon eyes fixing on its two siblings.

How was he supposed to carry three with only two arms? And then there was carrying Chika's body…

His pondering was yet another mistake. Karai, silent as the night, slipped to her feet, and coughed softly, making Leonardo freeze with his fumbling. Turning slowly, the turtle stared as the black-haired Japanese woman kept her eyes on Chika, gloved hand curled around the red hilt of her katana.

"Karai… Don't…" A soft, shaking whisper. "Don't…"

The kunoichi only shook her head, mouthing something akin to "orders" before she raised her hands above her head, plunging her sword into the now unconscious Chika. With that, the bloodied villainess turned, slipping through the bedroom door as Leonardo fell to his knees, cradling the still wailing child against his plastron as silent, salty tears rolled down his cheeks as his lover breathed her last breath.

* * *

_AN: Oh, hey, a Kunoichi is a female ninja._

_Also, very, very sorry this was so rushed. I wanted to get all the romance done in the prologue. ^^_

_And the reason there's three is because turtles generally have lots of children, and humans generally don't... So..._

_Oh, and, yes. Gray eyes are a real eye color, they're just fairly rare and nearly always tinted with blue :3_

_But yush. Hoping to have the first chapter up soon ^^"_


	2. Where Am I?

AN: Wow. This took a lot longer than expected. Very, very sorry. D:

* * *

One Day Later

Leonardo blinked his eyes open, staring drowsily down at the white carpet that his cheek had rested against for the past while. His fat tongue flicked across his dried, cracked lips, as that clichéd question of _Where am I…?_ ran through his head.

It only took a twitch of his arm to bring it all back. Or, rather, the weight that kept his arm from twitching.

The child. It was still curled up in his arm, its hot breath barely rasping against his jade flesh… The newborn was fading quickly. It was a miracle it'd made it this long. If it was a simple human child, it would've been dead within hours. But, then again, its father wasn't exactly normal… And, judging by its looks, the small hybrid wasn't your average human either.

Leonardo shifted uneasily. Chika was dead. Karai was gone. His child was alive, and maybe its siblings were too… But not for long if he didn't get his tail into action. The time to mourn would come. After his offspring were safe.

April's apartment was closer. Besides, the mere thought of what his brothers –and worse, Master Splinter- would say made fear and shame pulse in his veins. He wouldn't even allow himself to think of what they might do.

But… Now he had to figure out how, exactly, he was supposed to carry three children with two arms. The answer was clear to him. And though it was quite apparent, it was not so obvious if he'd be able to do it without breaking down. Again. And sentencing his children to death in the process.

Take the blanket that always rested on the end of Chika's bed, wrap it around his offspring, then set off with them bundled together. The thing was, in order to do that, he'd have to look up. Look at what he'd brought upon his lover.

But it was the only way.

He'd just keep his eyes squeezed shut, grabbing blindly for it. That way he wouldn't have to see her – or, rather, the lifeless corpse that had once been his smiling lover.

Slowly, ever so slowly as not to injure the frail infant cradled against his plastron, the svelte reptile raised his upper body, shifting his legs until he was sitting cross-legged, watching the young child with tender eyes.

Surprisingly, it looked different than he'd imagined… More turtlelike than humanlike. Its emerald skin was almost identical in shade to its father's. The plastron that covered its chest and stomach was, once again, twins with Leonardo's, though a small section was cracked away in the middle, revealing a belly button..

That made sense… He supposed. All mammals had them, well, except for maybe the platypus, and this child was at least half human.

Did the other two have bellybuttons, too? It would only make sense… Suddenly, reminded that of the fact he had two others beautiful creatures to take in and adore, Leonardo, cradling the small creature close to his breast plates, raised his cinnamon orbs to the two dreaming creatures cuddling together on the seat of the wide, brown desk chair.

They, too, were still quite messy from the birth. Their plate-covered stomachs and chests rose and fell ever so slightly as the precious gift that was air was drawn into their shivering bodies. Craning his neck, the jade-skinned reptile grabbed onto the edge of the rolling chair, pulling it toward him so he could get a better look.

The smaller one was slightly lighter than its sibling that had stayed curled in their father's arm throughout the night, while the other one was much darker. Quite a few shade darker than Leonardo's own skin.

The young, reptilian father ran one of his three-fingers along the arm on the one he was holding as he silently watched the two in front of him. It was only when his fat, sausagey finger was grasped in a loose, curled fist that the terrapin remembered the newborns had to get to April's apartment. Fast.

He'd been nothing less than intoxicated by the presence or things so young, delicate… Things that were his to protect.

Shaking the thought from his head, the young father heaved himself from his cross-legged position, stumbling to his bare feet, nearly tipping over as his limbs –sore and weak from the night spent on the carpet- tried their hardest to send him back down to the ungracious floor.

Clutching the child in his arms even closer to his chest, unwilling to let it go, the jade skinned reptile closed his eye. Grope quickly for the blanket and never look up to see his dead Chika. That was the plan.

The "fearless leader" took a stumbling step in the direction of the bed, one arm outstretched as his upper thigh bumped into the soft mattress. Slowly, doing his best to not let the terror that pulsed through his veins like some venomous drug paralyze him completely, Leonardo lowered his hand onto the bed, gripping the corner of the soft blanket his fingertips met tightly.

Allowing a sense of gratefulness to wash over him –He'd been terrified he might've gripped Chika's foot in mistake, like one of Mikey's clichéd horror flics- the svelte ninja turned back to two still laying on the swivel chair. His cinnamon eyes softened slightly as the two subconsciously pulled their weak bodies towards the other – anything to keep warm.

The blue-clad terrapin stepped toward them, resting the child that had been curled in his arm beside them as he unfolded the pale yellow and orange blanket. He paused, realizing after a moment that his children weren't just "its". They had genders, and, later, they would have names.

Placing the blanket on the ground, Leonardo kneeled down, and, after a few moments of inspection, a small smile was laced across his lips. Two boys and one small, precious girl. Once again, Leonardo's heart swelled with warmth, cinnamon eyes brimming with emotion.

Names would be decided upon later – Now, with his curiosity satisfied for the moment, he had to go. Straightening out the washed out blanket with one hand, Leonardo slowly, cautiously, cradled the darkest one – a boy – close to his chest, savoring the moment. But, he had to be swift.

Carefully, the emerald terrapin placed the newborn hybrid on the blanket, fingers butterflying across the child's skin in one last caress, his breath bated. All three of the young babes were so fragile… So soft. Their odd, parted plastron to soft, along with their shells. They were so… New to the world. It was scary, almost.

Had he, the "Fearless Leader" ever been so new? So helpless?

It was a scary thought – being unable to defend one's self. Being so dependent on another.

Oh, sure. He depended on his brothers, and, of course, his own father… But he wasn't vulnerable without them. Not physically, anyways. It made him pause, just a second longer.

If he could remember all the way back when he newly hatched, and had somehow, all the way back then, had the mind he possessed now… Would he of been proud of the one who raised him? Or furious? Would it have affected him, at all…?

It would've, he decided. And he was going to make sure that, for his children, he would be a positive effect. And he would be there for his children. Even if he had to fight tooth and claw for them, he would - in a heartbeat.

Quickly, silently, the svelte terrapin tucked the one with skin fairer than his own – a little girl- next to the dark newborn. Without another moment of uncertainty, the new father tenderly placed the smallest – the one with skin identical to his own- next to his sister.

The three weak babes slept on threw this, which made Leonardo's cinnamon eyes soften with emotion. Shaking his head, the muscular reptile wrapped the washed out blanket around the three hybrids. Realizing that that wouldn't be enough to hold them together when scrambling to April's house, Leonardo reached behind his hexagonal head, untying the blue mask that wrapped around his greenish skull.

Lips curled into a concentrated grimace, the sylphlike mutant carefully tied his bandana around the pale blanket, securing it. He knew it wouldn't be much, but it should hold steady if he kept a tight hold on the triplets.

Cautiously, the jade-skinned ninja circumspectly raised the pale blanket which was wrapped around his three offspring, and pressed it against his chest. _I'm going to have to go by the alleys… Rooftops will be too dangerous and the sewers will be too slow… Dammit… If only Casey hadn't moved in with April, I'd be at his apartment by now…_

Shaking the thoughts from his head, the sinewy Leonardo slipped onto the fire escape, wincing as the cold metal bars bit into the soles of his calloused feet. One arm pressing the blanket to his plastron covered chest, the wiry ninja slipped down to the alleyway.

Cinnamon eyes narrowed to thick slits, Leonardo began to run. Feet thrumming against the alleys of the city, the turtle slid into the shadows, avoiding light at all costs. With the speed and urgency he was running with, what should have been a fifteen minute trek turned into a twelve minute sprint.

Chest heaving as he struggled to draw in a breath, the tall mutant –weak after a day of no food and the inhumanly fast run- brought his curled fist down on the wood of April's door. He brought it down once, twice more before stumbling backwards, the dome of his shell resting against the brick wall across from his "sister's" home.

Slowly, he raised his maskless head as the hourglass-shaped redhead opened the door, letting the light of her antique shop wash out into the alley. Casey stood behind her, one arm cradling the sobbing Shadow, the other curled around April's waist.

Stumbling forward, into the unnatural light, the weakened mutant raised his head, arms curled around the blanket as he stared up at the two. "I need your help."


End file.
